King ‘Leer’ Falls Again.
Shakespeare’s tragedy, King Lear, follows the pathetic downward spiral of the ruler after he relinquishes power and property to his two daughters.
Another drama involving a leader and two females played out recently at Valley Packaging Corporation in Tennessee, where – according to filings in court -- the company’s president had been seen driving around the production floor in a golf cart, stopping to stare at the rear end of a young female while she worked, and commenting later that “he didn’t want a woman running the department.” Images of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack come to mind.
In response, two Valley Packaging managers filed a complaint of sexual harassment in early 2018. Eight months later, the company fired them both. They sued for retaliation.
Valley Packaging responded that one act of staring at the backside of a female worker was not sexual harassment and, therefore, the complaint did not qualify as protected conduct supporting a claim of retaliation under the law. The managers adroitly countered with a citation to the Valley Packaging employee handbook, identifying “leering” as an example of sexual harassment. The law requires only that employees reasonably and in good faith believe the conduct was harassment, and the handbook language was enough to get these plaintiffs there.
Don’t think twice – or look twice – at such staring and ogling in the workplace. It should not be tolerated. Gaze into the sky, admire a rainbow, study the flowers, read a book – but don’t leer at a co-worker’s body.